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Bail for two arrested over London attack on UAE couple

Police say seven men involved in the attack on an Emirati family and their friend at their Paddington flat

Justice

Two men arrested over an attack on an Emirati couple and their friend at the couple’s London flat have been released on police bail.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told Arabian Business Sunday morning investigations into the case continued and the pair, who were arrested last Wednesday, would be re-interviewed, likely next month.

There have been no other arrests made over the attack, which police say involved seven people.

Police said a group of masked men forced their way into the couple’s home about 1am on April 22 in Westbourne Gardens, Paddington, and threatened them before stealing a quantity of property including two mobile phones, around AED4,000 ($1,089) and £2,400 ($4,033) in cash, two passports, handbags and bank cards.

Two of the four men, who are all described as black and wearing masks, were armed with handguns and one had a knife. Another three men stood outside while the robbery took place, police had said.

It comes after the alleged assault of three Emirati sisters at their London hotel on April 6 where the victims were attacked with a hammer after they interrupted a burglar who had gained access to their unlocked room. Four people have been charged over that attack.

The Paddington attack on the 51-year-old man, reported to be Ali Al Tamimi, of Ajman, his wife, 47, and a 59-year-old Emirati friend sparked heated debate on social media networks with Twitter hashtags trending such as “Dubai Summers rather than London hammers” and #london_is_not_safe.

However, London Police have moved to assure the public there is no link between two serious violent attacks against UAE residents in the English capital in the past month but acknowledged the “tragic coincidence”.

Police said they were being assisted by counterparts in the UAE and a senior police officer from the UAE was currently in London working alongside Metropolitan Police officers.